


It Takes A Village

by carryaworld



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU where Keith doesn't leave for the Blades, M/M, Pining, Shiro deserves a break, This is indulgent fluff, cuddle puddle, the paladins are an adorable fam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-02 13:20:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13318977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carryaworld/pseuds/carryaworld
Summary: They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a family to heal some of the biggest hurts.AKA Shiro needs a break and the team brings on the love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna just apologize in advance as this is my first fanfic and the flow might be a bit weird, but I hope you enjoy!

Keith is the first to notice the deep circles under Shiro’s eyes. It’s been a while since their fearless leader has let his exhaustion show. Keith would know, he pays an disproportionate amount of attention to Shiro, but he can’t help it. He’s given Shiro space since this whole adventure began, despite the ache in his chest demanding that he reach out and gather Shiro up in his arms. The ache has been there since the moment Keith busted into the Garrison and found Shiro on a table, different but somehow the same as the man he remembers. 

Something tells him to wait though, so he does. Keith slips easily back into his role of Shiro’s best friend, and there are moments where he feels like they could almost be back at the Garrison, joking with Matt and playfully competing to see who can get the highest scores in the simulator. Those moments don’t last though. Shiro is more serious than he ever was in those days, and Keith… Well Keith has aged as well. 

Now, as Keith eyes Shiro standing at the helm with Allura, he thinks he’s had enough of this waiting game. They’ve only just gotten Shiro back a second time after months of Galra captivity. Again. Keith refuses to let there be a third time. He doesn’t think he could survive a third time wondering whether or not he’d ever see Shiro again. 

Footsteps sound behind him and Keith turns. Whatever expression is on his face has Lance holding his hands up in defense. “Easy there tiger, it’s just me,” Lance says, blue eyes narrowing on Keith’s face before looking around him at Shiro. “You have a resting grouchy face, mullet,” Lance tells him, but Lance’s expression is uncharacteristically serious. 

“What do you want, Lance?” Keith grits out. That serious face sends tendrils of unease curling in his gut. Lance is rarely serious without a reason, and Keith feels he’s rightfully nervous about it. 

Lance’s gaze flickers to Shiro one last time and then his serious expression is gone, replaced by the smirk he likes to favor Keith with because he knows it gets under his skin. “Oh, you know. Just wanted to check up on my best buddy Keith,” he says casually. The shove he gives Keith, however, is not the least bit casual. 

“Lance!” Keith squawks as he stumbles, flailing to try and regain his balance. Everyone is watching now and Lance grins, gives Keith a little princess wave, and vanishes. It’s a smart move, because Keith is going to kill him the second he gets a chance. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, his plots for murder are interrupted by steadying hands on his shoulders. Keith freezes, barely daring to look up. 

Shiro’s hands linger for a moment and then drop once he decides Keith is stable on his own two feet. “You good?” he asks gently, and takes a step back to assess Keith in full. 

Keith’s already working himself into a ferocious frown, but he nods, letting his anger at Lance drown out the painful lurch of his gut from Shiro touching him. 

Shiro eyes him. “As team leader, I’m going to have to ask you not to murder Lance in his sleep.” 

Keith grumbles at this, and it prompts a weary smile from Shiro. A heavy hand settles on Keith’s shoulder for a moment and then Shiro turns back to whatever he was working on with Allura. Keith resists the urge to linger and heads down to the lounge, rubbing a hand over his face. He’s starting to feel his late night training session, and if Allura doesn’t have anything planned for him, he might just take a nap. 

When he steps into the lounge, that thought goes out the window because he’s clearly walked in on an argument. 

“You shoved him?!” Pidge exclaims, exasperated. Her glasses are shoved up on her nose and she’s glaring at Lance from her perch on the armrest of the couch. 

Lance, sprawled on the floor, holds his hands up in surrender. “What did you want me to do?” he complains. “You weren’t doing anything about it so I figured I would!” 

Keith stays silent in the doorway, too confused by this conversation to announce his presence. Hunk sits with his face buried in his hands like he can’t believe that he’s friends with these people. 

“Yes Lance, that’s because I understand the concept of having a little tact,” Pidge snaps back. 

Hunk finally gives up and moved to stand in between them. “Lance, I know you were trying to help, but maybe next time consult Pidge and I first?” He suggests, trying to be the neutral party.

Lance narrows his eyes from his spot on the floor. “Are you siding with her?” he asks suspiciously. 

Hunk nervously wrings his hands. “No, of course not.” 

Hunk is saved from another round of scrutiny by Keith. “Would someone please explain to me what’s going on here?” Keith says flatly. All three jump and stare at him guiltily, which confirms for Keith that they were scheming behind his back. 

“Well you see, the thing is...” Hunk begins, ever the diplomat. 

Pidge cuts him off. “We noticed that Shiro hasn’t been doing well or sleeping much lately and didn’t know how to approach him about it. We were hoping that since you’ve been friends with him longer that you would reach out to him,” she says bluntly. 

Keith blinks, at a loss for words. He’d thought he was the only one that noticed Shiro was having a hard time, but he should have known better. They were a team, and despite their bickering, they looked out for each other. A sigh slips out and he looks directly at Pidge. “You know why I can’t do that,” he says softly. 

Pidge frowns at him, but doesn’t argue. Not now anyway. She’ll corner him later when he’s alone, because she’s like him, and hates having her emotions aired in front of an audience. 

Lance looks as if he wants to say something more but Pidge chucks a pillow at his head and that’s the end of that. 

Hunk offers a hesitant smile, “Snacks anyone?” 

***

Pidge finds Keith in the training room late at night. It’s his usual haunt when he can’t sleep, which is far more often than it should be, but since she is also awake Pidge can’t throw stones. Keith acknowledges her with a brief nod and keeps hacking at the training bot with a ferocity that tells Pidge exactly where his head is at. She knows there’s no reason to expect him to talk when he’s like this, so she settles on the floor with her back against the wall and resumes tapping away on the computer, glasses reflecting the glow of the screen as she squints at some video footage. She’s not sure when she dozed off, or for how long, but when Keith plops down next to her, she startles.

“Gah! Thanks for the warning Keith,” she grumbles, straightening her glasses on her nose. 

“You should be in bed,” is all he says, wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. 

The circles under his eyes look particularly unhealthy in the low light, and Pidge frowns up at him. “So should you,” she retorts. They have this argument often. Pidge stays up too late on her computer, either looking for Matt or working on some new tech, and Keith stays up too late training until he’s exhausted enough to sleep soundly. 

Keith sighs, closing his eyes and tilting his head back to rest against the wall. Pidge watches him, head tilted while she struggles for the right words to start this conversation. There’s a reason she and Keith get along, and it’s because both of them are better with machines than with people. 

“Are you not sleeping because of the dreams, or because of what’s going on with Shiro?” she asks finally, setting her computer on the floor beside her. 

Keith opens his eyes to contemplate the ceiling. “Both,” he says, and pauses. “But mostly Shiro.” 

Pidge scrunches her face up because she knows she’s not good at relationship stuff, but she feels that she has to at least try for both Keith and Shiro’s sakes. “Keith… he needs you,” she says softly. 

Beside her, Keith tenses. “Pidge,” he warns, but she doesn’t let him finish.

“No, listen to me. This doesn’t have to be about your romantic feelings for him.” She dutifully ignores when he flinches and plows on. “He needs his best friend. You can deal with those other feelings later, he needs to be pulled back from the brink now.” 

Keith worries his lower lip between his teeth. He knows she’s right, but something still holds him back. “I don’t want to push too hard,” he mumbles. “He’s been through enough already.” 

Pidge pinches the bridge of her nose. “I think it’s safe to say that giving him space isn’t working. It’s time to try something else.” 

Silence falls for long enough that Pidge is sure she’s going to fall asleep again. She knows better than to prod Keith about this; he’s quite good at shutting people out.

Keith pushes to his feet and offers a hand to help Pidge up, and she gratefully accepts. “I’ll think about it,” he whispers. She nods, and he tugs her down the hallway toward where the paladins’ rooms are. “Time for bed.” 

 

***

It takes three days for Keith to decide, and when he does, it isn’t even a conscious decision. After another long night of tossing and turning, he drags himself out of bed and shoves his feet into his boots. Smacking the bots around will hopefully push him over the edge into exhaustion that will let him sleep. He’s honestly surprised that today’s mission hadn’t been enough. Shiro had not been himself, and Keith had spent almost as much time covering Shiro’s six in the Red Lion as he had actively going after Galra fighters. When he’d tried to corner Shiro about it, Shiro had shaken him off and insisted that he was fine. 

It left him with a bad taste in his mouth, and he’d spent the rest of the evening tucked quietly out of sight. Letting out a sigh, Keith dragged a hand through his dark hair and took the long way to the training deck, avoiding walking past the others’ rooms for fear of waking them. No one got enough sleep these days, and he wasn’t going to risk it. 

He slows abruptly as he catches sight of a shadow around the corner. Heart hammering in his chest, he leans so that he could see what it is, and nearly falls over when he realizes that it is Shiro. The black paladin is sitting slumped against the wall, face hidden in his Galra hand. Keith swallows hard before stepping into the hallway.

“Hey,” he says softly, approaching slowly as not to startle Shiro. He can see Shiro’s shoulders tense, but Shiro stays put. It’s enough of an invitation for Keith to sink down on the floor beside him, close, but not close enough that they’re touching. 

Shiro doesn’t look up, and it sends a searing pang through Keith’s chest, but he stubbornly stays. “If you need me, I’m here,” Keith murmurs. 

They’re both impossibly still for so long that Keith isn’t prepared when Shiro moves suddenly, his arms going around Keith and his face into the crooke of Keith’s neck. Stunned, Keith twists so that he can slip his arms around Shiro and hold him close. 

“It’s okay,” he whispers, making circles on Shiro’s back as hot tears soak his shirt. “You’re okay.” 

***

Shiro doesn’t know why he lets Keith walk him back to his room and sit him down on his bed. He’s let the distance grow between himself and Keith for a reason. Shiro doesn’t deserve the sweet, purple-eyed boy that’s bossily mothering him right now. The things he’s done to survive… he doesn’t deserve the affection that he can see in Keith’s eyes as the red paladin fusses over him and fixes the blankets. He doesn’t want Keith to know just how different he is know from the Garrison Golden Boy that left for Kerberos. The thought makes his insides want to collapse in on themselves, and he draws a breath to tell Keith that he’s fine, and that Keith should go to bed, but Keith beats him to it. 

“You haven’t been sleeping,” Keith accuses him, sitting down on the bed beside him. 

Shiro tries not to look guilty but he can’t meet Keith’s eyes. “I’m fine, Keith. You should go back to bed.” 

Keith snorts inelegantly at him. “You are not fine, Takashi Shirogane. Don’t you lie to me.” 

Shiro stares at him, and for a moment he’s seeing double. A younger, more carefree Keith from their Garrison days stares back, reminding him of a late night where he’d thrown the cadet over his shoulder and forcibly dragged him to bed. Shiro blinks again, and it’s gone, and he’s left to face Keith’s concern. “I’m fine,” he mumbles again. 

Keith is clearly not buying it, and he leans his shoulder into Shiro’s. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks gently. 

Shiro shakes his head, “Not tonight.” The memories were too fresh, and the ache too raw for him to revisit in the dark. Belatedly, he realizes that he’s just consented to talk about it with Keith another time, which wasn’t what he intended. He didn’t want to bring Keith into this at all.

“Okay,” Keith concedes, and gently pushes on Shiro’s shoulder. “Move over, I’m staying to make sure that you sleep this time.” 

Shiro grumbles half heartedly at his friend and tries not to admit to himself that he’s relieved Keith is staying. “If you hog the blankets, I’m pushing you out of the bed,” he threatens.

Keith smirks and gives an innocent shrug, allowing Shiro to get settled with his back to the wall while Keith claims the edge. 

“Goodnight, Takashi,” Keith whispers.

Shiro tries to ignore the tear in his heart as he closes his eyes, “Goodnight, Keith.” 

***

After that night, Keith is an unstoppable force. Nothing changes around the rest of the team, but Keith knocks on Shiro’s door every night, determined to make sure that the black paladin is getting rest. He doesn’t intend to spend the night every time, but that’s what happens. It takes Shiro a week to realize that with Keith’s warm weight beside him, he isn’t ripped out of sleep by nightmares quite as often. He doesn’t feel exhausted anymore, and the looming darkness that had hung over him isn’t such a weight on his shoulders. Shiro also realizes that Keith is sleeping more as well. It eases his conscience to know that this is at least mutually beneficial for Keith, because he feels selfish for wanting Keith’s comforting presence beside him.

It becomes routine for Keith to crawl into Shiro’s bed with him every night, allowing them both fairly restful sleep. It surprises Shiro that none of the other paladins comment on it. That’s probably because the last time Lance tried, Pidge punched him in the stomach with one of her tiny fists. They also seem to pretend not to see the casual touches exchanged by Keith and Shiro, though Pidge does allow herself to give Keith a nudge and a tiny grin.

***

Keith is dead to the world when Shiro’s thrashing pulls him out of strange dreams. He’s gotten used to most of Shiro’s nightmares, but this is different, and the pained noise that Shiro makes sets his teeth on edge. Keith pushes himself into a sitting position and gently shakes Shiro’s left shoulder, purposely avoiding the Galra arm. He’s learned the hard way that touching it is not a good idea during these nightmares. 

“Shiro, Shiro wake up,” he says, and shakes his shoulder again. It’s harder than usual to wake him, but when Shiro’s stormy gray eyes finally fly open, he’s breathing hard.

“Keith,” he gasps, panic still etched on every line of his body as he trembles. 

“Shhh, I’m here, you’re okay,” Keith murmurs. He scoots over on the bed, and draws Shiro into his arms, encircling him protectively despite the fact that Shiro is a fair bit bigger than him. With some careful tugging Keith settles Shiro’s head on his chest where he can card his fingers soothingly through Shiro’s hair. “You’re okay, Takashi. I’ve got you,” he soothes.

Shiro lets out a shuddering breath as the tension flows out of his limbs. His heart is still racing, but the steady thrum of Keith’s heartbeat beneath his cheek is soothing. “I’m sorry I woke you,” Shiro mumbles. 

Keith’s arms tighten around him “Nope, no apologizing Shiro. Go back to sleep, we can talk about it tomorrow,” he says firmly. 

As much as Shiro wants to argue, he doesn’t. He swears he feels Keith press his lips to the top of his head before he drifts off, but sleep claims him before he can puzzle over it. 

***

Shiro has to stretch to his limit to slam his hand down on the alarm before its incessant blaring wakes Keith, who is still asleep with an arm around Shiro. This means that Shiro’s face is smushed into Keith’s chest when he finally manages to shut the damn thing off. Unfortunately, it’s just a tick too late and Keith is blearily wriggling awake under his cheek. Shiro shoves off of him and retreats to “his” half of the bed as Keith struggles into a sitting position, eyes still half closed as he yawns. Shiro presses his lips together to keep from laughing, because Keith’s bedhead needs its own zip-code. 

“What?” Keith grumbles, squinting at Shiro. Clearly he’s not doing a great job hiding his amusement. 

“I was just admiring your hair,” Shiro says innocently. 

“Oh, shut up,” Keith says, but he pats at his hair when he thinks Shiro isn’t looking. 

Shiro watches him fondly, heart sinking as he realizes that they still need to talk about last night. About his bad dreams and Keith’s lips against his hair. 

“We should talk,” Shiro says quietly, and instantly Keith’s eyes are on him, wide awake as tension suddenly takes over his slender frame.

“What about?” Keith asks warily. Shiro can almost see Keith’s walls slamming back into place. He’s the red paladin now rather than the sleepy boy with bedhead. 

“Keith,” Shiro breathes, and it’s a plea he didn’t mean to voice, but it’s too late now. 

Keith takes a breath, steadying himself. “I’m sorry. What did you want to talk about Shiro?” 

Shiro stares at him, because Keith never used to handle things this calmly. Sometimes he forgets how much Keith has changed. How much they’ve both changed. “I wanted to apologize for waking you up last night,” he says when he manages to collect himself. “And also thank you for sticking out the nightmares with me.” 

Keith’s brows furrow. “Why are you apologizing? I want to help, Shiro. I know how hard it is to come out of those nightmares and be alone--” he stops abruptly and clamps his mouth shut. 

Shiro frowns at him, reaching out to Keith even as the words process in his brain. He’d known that Keith spent a lot of time burning himself out on the training deck, but not about this. Shiro wonders what haunted Keith’s dreams. 

Unable to resist, Keith allows himself to be drawn into Shiro’s side, head resting on Shiro’s massive shoulder. “What do you dream about?” Keith murmurs, and adds “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” 

Shiro sighs and leans his cheek against the top of Keith’s head, wondering when he’d started being comfortable with casual touch again. “The arena, captivity, losing the team.” Shiro swallows hard, “Losing you.” 

Whatever distressed noise Keith makes is muffled by Shiro’s shoulder, but he gives Shiro’s torso a hard squeeze with one arm. “You’re not going to lose me, Shiro. I’m not going anywhere,” Keith says fiercely, but Shiro hears the rawness in his voice.

“I don’t deserve you,” Shiro murmurs, and it’s meant only for his own ears, but Keith hears it and recoils. 

“The hell you don’t!” Keith snaps, eyes glittering with sudden fury. He plants a hand on Shiro’s chest and leans in, holding Shiro’s shocked gaze. “This team cares about you. I care about you. I know that there are a lot of things that you regret, Shiro, but you’re still a good person. You’re still the person who picked me up time and time again when I didn’t think I could keep going. You’re still my best friend and the person that I--” he chokes on the words that I fell in love with and they remain unspoken. 

Keith doesn’t realize he’s shaking until Shiro draws him into his lap and holds him tight, nose pressed into Keith’s unruly black hair. Keith tucks his head under Shiro’s chin and tries to even his breathing. 

“When did that happen?” Shiro muses into his hair, his hand smoothing up and down Keith’s back. 

“When did what happen?” Keith mumbles, even though he’s fairly sure that he knows what Shiro means. 

Shiro just squeezes him and kisses the top of Keith’s head, very much the same way that Keith had last night. Warmth floods into Keith’s limbs and for once, he dares to think that things may just work out. 

***

Keith leans into Shiro’s warm hug, grounding himself. All the other paladins are doing their own thing so they have a moment to themselves as Keith prepares to leave for a Blades mission. With Shiro’s help, he’s been trying to balance being a paladin and working with the Blade of Marmora. Since Shiro is back to flying the Black Lion, and Allura been accepted by Blue, Keith and Lance can fill roles where needed. It means that if Keith is needed for a Blade mission, they can still form Voltron, or if Allura is needed in the castle, Lance can fly Blue. Keith knows that Lance had been worried about his place on the team, and was happy that they’d found a solution. 

A ding from Keith’s communicator signals that it is time to go, and he reluctantly pulls back from Shiro. He hesitates a moment, then stands on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Shiro’s cheek. Their relationship, or whatever it was, is still in its fledgling stages but Keith can’t help himself. Especially not when it makes Shiro blush. 

“I’ll be back in a couple days, okay?” Keith says, offering Shiro a small smile. 

Shiro nods. It’s taking more effort than he’d thought to disguise his worry from Keith. “Be safe,” he says softly.

“I’ll do my best,” Keith promises, because really, no Blade mission is safe. “You be safe too. If you guys need me, contact Kolivan and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

Shiro can’t help it, he draws Keith into another hug and presses his lips to the shorter man’s forehead. “Come home to me,” he whispers, and releases Keith, who gives him a wobbly smile in return before stepping into the pod. By the time Shiro gets himself together, Keith is gone, shooting off into a wormhole that Allura had opened for him. Shiro sighs and heads to the bridge to see what’s to be done. 

***

The first day that Keith is gone, they don’t need Voltron, and Shiro realizes that this trip will be the longest that Keith has been away in a while. The thought gives him a weird twinge, and he throws himself into training until it is all but forgotten. That night he sleeps okay, the warm memory of Keith snuggled close enough to keep the nightmares at bay. 

The second day that Keith is gone, they form Voltron and take out several Galra battle cruisers. Pidge gets data that she needs, and overall, Shiro is pleased with how the day goes. Having Lance in Red is always a different sensation, which he finds interesting, and he wonders how it feels to Keith when he flies Black. He’s still pondering this when he goes to sleep, a pleasant puzzle that takes his mind off the empty spot next to him.

Shiro figures that he should have known better to hope for two nights in a row of decent sleep as he wanders the halls a few hours later. It’s late, or perhaps early, but nightmares have shaken him awake and he can’t stay put. When he pads into the lounge, he knows he shouldn’t be surprised to find Pidge there, hunkered over her computer. She doesn’t look up when he sits next to her, but acknowledges him with a slight tilt of her head. 

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Shiro asks, lifting an eyebrow. 

Pidge looks up now, pushing her glasses up her nose and giving him a look. “You’re not,” she says pointedly, and goes back to what she was working on.

Shiro is startled into laughing. “I guess you’re right there. What are you working on?”

She taps aggressively on her laptop as she answers. “I’m trying to decode the data that we got today, but it’s particularly tricky,” she grumbled. 

“Ah, sorry I can’t be of any help with that. Maybe you can ask Hunk in the morning?” Shiro suggests, leaning back into the couch. 

Pidge shrugs and fixes him with her shrewd gaze. “You can stay if you want, I’m going to be here awhile,” she offers. It’s obvious to her that Shiro is back to not sleeping because Keith is out of the castle on a Blade mission. Both of them had actually been sleeping for a stretch there, much to the relief of the entire team. While Pidge enjoyed Keith’s nighttime company, it pleased her that he’d found a healthier way of coping. 

“I’ll hang around for a bit,” he agrees quietly. It’s not like he’s going back to sleep soon anyway.

Pidge grins and leans over, snatching a pillow and blanket off the couch on the other side of her. She plops them unceremoniously in Shiro’s lap. “Here, get comfy oh fearless leader,” she says dramatically, satisfied as she draws another laugh from Shiro. 

He does as he’s told, and falls asleep on the couch with Pidge snoring on his shoulder. When they wake the next morning to Hunk bustling around making breakfast, she vehemently denies having drooled on his shirt.

The third night Shiro doesn’t even attempt sleep. He’s wired for reasons unbeknownst to him, and spends a good hour on the training deck before wandering into the kitchen to get a drink. He ends up in the lounge, where Pidge is waiting, something almost expectant in her gaze when he takes his spot beside her. Wordlessly she drops the blanket and pillow in his lap yet again.

He tries to hand them back but she’s not having it. “I really don’t think I need those Pidge, I’m not tired,” he protests.

She glares at him, and it’s so reminiscent of Matt that Shiro gives in. “Thank you,” she says, exasperated. 

They settle into the same state they’d been in last night, Pidge on her computer, and Shiro reading on his tablet. Lance joins them unexpectedly later in the night, looking bleary-eyed as he plops down on Shiro’s other side and goes promptly back to sleep. 

Shiro frowns and looks to Pidge. “What’s that about?” Lance is notorious for being a stickler about his beauty sleep, and out of all of them probably has the healthiest sleep habits. 

“Dunno,” Pidge says innocently, and chucks a blanket at Lance’s head, who groans. 

Shiro takes pity and spreads the blanket nicely over him. He’s suspicious, but lets it go in favor of what he’s reading. 

Hunk finds the three of them asleep on the couch in the morning, Pidge again drooling on Shiro, and Lance clutching a pillow to his chest as he hogs most of the couch. Smiling to himself, Hunk makes space pancakes before waking them all up. 

Keith returns early in the morning on the fifth day, exhausted and nursing a few small cuts and bruises here and there, though nothing serious. He’s making a beeline for his room and his bed when he passes by the lounge and is forced to do a double take. He can just see a couple of random limbs, and when he tiptoes inside, he’s astounded to find Pidge, Lance, Hunk and Shiro passed out in what can only be called a cuddle puddle on the floor. Allura is asleep on the couch, and Coran is snoring soundly on the other end. Keith stands and stares, trying to make sense of the rush of warmth that’s making his chest feel funny. The team rallied around Shiro while he was gone, and the thought makes his heart want to explode. 

This is his family, and Keith couldn’t ask for anything more. He’s still grinning when he carefully makes his way to the empty space on Shiro’s right side and lays down. Head pillowed on his arms, he curls up facing Shiro and falls asleep with a smile still lingering on his lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro figure some stuff out, the paladins can't help but tease Keith, and Matt Holt is finally rescued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that Matt Holt being fed up with Keith and Shiro is my favorite? Here's that smooch you wanted!

It’s several days until Keith gets to talk to Pidge in private. They’ve been constantly on the move between trying to keep ahead of the Galra and Pidge’s new leads on Matt’s location. It seems as if every time they free a planet, the Galra have a new monster and new tech to throw at them. Keith can’t decide if he wants to smack his head off the wall, or sleep for two centuries. Having Shiro back means he doesn’t need to bear the brunt of leadership anymore, though Shiro hasn’t completely let him off the hook with that either.

Finding a balance in power is challenging, and it frays Keith’s nerves more than he cares to admit when he’s this exhausted. Which is why he’s taking his frustration out on a bot before he allows himself to crawl up into bed next to Shiro. They’re both trying their best, and Keith doesn’t want to ruin it with his grouchy mood. 

“You know, that bot didn’t do anything to you,” Pidge comments absently. She’s back at her post against the wall, and Keith wonders if she’s slept at all. 

Keith spares her a glance before letting his bayard shrink back into its resting state and exchanges it for his Marmora blade. Each feels different in his hand, so he likes to spend time working with both to stay sharp. 

“You’re two seconds from becoming one with that computer,” he retorts, grunting as the new bot takes a swing at him. Keith blocks it and rolls, missing whatever Pidge retorts at him. He dispatches another two bots before he shuts down the training sequence and flops down next to Pidge. 

Keith shifts so that he can lay flat on his back, arms tucked behind his head. “I never thanked you for staying up with Shiro while I was gone,” he says quietly, brows furrowed as he gazes up at the ceiling. 

Pidge reaches over and smacks his stomach.

“Hey!” he protests, and she just rolls her eyes at him. 

“Firstly, no thanks needed,” Pidge twists so that she can sit cross-legged facing him as she peers over top of her computer. “Secondly, have some faith, Keith” she says dryly. “We care about Shiro too.” 

Keith sighs and drapes his arm over his face. “I know, sorry. I’m still new to how this whole family thing works.” 

Pidge tuts, but her expression softens as she reaches over to ruffle his hair, ignoring his attempts to swat her hand away. “We’ll teach you yet,” she promises.

Pushing up onto his elbows, Keith peers at her. “Speaking of family, anything on Matt?” he asks gently. 

She blinks slowly at him, “Were you not listening to what I told you like, literally ten minutes ago?”

Keith shrugs sheepishly. “Fighting bots?” 

Pidge smacks her palm against her forehead then brightens up, spinning her computer so that Keith can see. Not that he has any idea what he’s looking at, but he tries anyway. “Once this code finishes running, I’ll have a half decent lead! Then all I need is permission from Shiro to go check it out,” she says, eyes glittering. 

Keith’s lips tug up at the corners and he reaches over to squeeze her arm. “He will,” Keith reassures her. “And if you need someone to go with you, I’m here.” 

A thousand emotions flash over her face, but she settles for punching Keith’s arm. “Thanks Keith,” she sniffs, offering a smile as he rubs his bicep. He smiles back, and for that moment, things are right in the world. 

***

Shiro shucks his boots as slow as he knows how. Keith isn’t back from the training deck, which while it isn’t unusual, Keith usually makes an effort to be back in time for them to go to bed together. Shiro stares hard at the door and tries not to be too desperate about willing Keith to walk through it. They’d disagreed briefly today about the best course of action against a Galra battle cruiser, and while Shiro had thought it wasn’t that big of a deal at the time, maybe Keith was mad about it. Was Keith mad at him?  
With a groan, Shiro chucks his boots to their designated corner of his room and finishes getting ready for bed. He’ll give Keith a little longer, and then go to sleep. It’s fine, he’s not Keith’s keeper after all. He just you know… has really mixed up feelings about his best friend who may or may not be more than that. It amazes him that after all he’s been through, a crush still has this kind of power over him. 

Shiro is on his last ditch procrastination effort, fluffing the pillows, when Keith quietly comes through the door. He looks startled to find Shiro still awake, and the expression instantly morphs into a frown. 

“I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have waited up for me,” Keith apologizes quietly, making quick work of shucking his boots on his way to the bed. 

Shiro gives him a look, which is really just a shoddy reason for study his friend. Keith’s hair wet, and when he sits down on the bed next to Shiro, Shiro gives his hair a curious tug. 

“Oh, yeah. I figured you wouldn’t appreciate it if I crawled into your bed sweaty,” Keith admits, a quiet chuckle slipping out. 

Shiro has mixed feelings on that front. “Are you upset?” he asks, and instantly regrets it. That question usually results in Keith shutting down completely.

Instead, he finds purple eyes assessing him between furrowed brows. “No? Should I be?” Keith asks, hesitant. “I’m sorry I was out so late, I was talking to Pidge. She wanted to show me her latest lead on Matt.”

A relieved sigh escapes Shiro before he can stop it. “No-- No, of course not. I just thought… we disagreed earlier, and you were out late…” he shrugs helplessly. 

Keith snorts. “I’m not that easy to get rid of, Shiro,” he says, and tilts his head to regard Shiro affectionately. 

Shiro is fairly certain that his heart has melted and dropped into the bubbling lava pit that is his gut at the moment. He reaches out, meaning to cup that darling face in his palm, but stops halfway as he realizes that he’d reached with his Galra arm. Keith has never seemed bothered when Shiro touches him with it, but to taint this moment with something that holds so many bad memories for Shiro… 

All the air rushes out of Shiro’s lungs as Keith catches the Galra hand, pressing a kiss to Shiro’s palm before holding it gently to his own cheek. Shiro is desperately trying to get enough oxygen to form the a coherent thought as his heart tries to bust out of his chest.

“Can I-- Can I kiss you?” Shiro stumbles over the words, but Keith doesn’t care. His whole face lights up and he’s already leaning toward Shiro when Shiro moves his human hand to cradle Keith’s face between his palms.

“Yes, Takashi. Yes.” Keith says softly and with so much feeling that Shiro has to wonder how long they’ve been waiting for this. 

The first press of Keith’s lips against his is soft and shy, but it sends warmth tingling all the way down to Shiro’s toes. He is gentle in return, parting his lips and yielding control to Keith, though he’s not quite ready for how greedily Keith claims it. Shiro isn’t how long it lasts, it sure isn’t brief and somehow Keith ends up in his lap, but when Shiro reluctantly pulls back he feels light enough to float away. 

Keith pouts at him, and Shiro’s sure that face will be his undoing someday. “We should go to sleep,” Shiro says apologetically. 

There is grumbling, but Keith yields after stealing one last quick peck. “I guess that is kinda my own fault for being out so late,” Keith muses as they settle into their usual sleeping arrangement. 

Shiro chuckles. “Probably,” he agrees, savoring Keith’s surprised huff as he tugs the smaller man to his chest and encases him in his arms.

Keith squirms until he’s comfortable as the little spoon, his head nestled up under Shiro’s chin. “Goodnight, Takashi,” he whispers. 

The loving way that Keith’s voice shapes around his given name lingers with Shiro for a long time. “Goodnight, Keith.”

***

Keith isn’t surprised when he finds the rest of the paladins hiding out in the lounge. Shiro is upstairs helping Allura through diplomatic talks; something that is not at all Keith’s forte. He has little patience for the finer points of etiquette and whatever else it is that Allura is using to sweet talk the leaders into the coalition. 

Hunk is passed out on the couch snoring up a storm, which explains why he isn’t suffering with Allura and Shiro. Normally Hunk likes to ply guests with his amazing cooking, though Keith is convinced that it’s his friendly, upbeat demeanor that actually does the trick. 

Pidge is sitting on the floor cross-legged across from Lance. She has spoon in hand, which she uses as a lever to fling food goo into Lance’s mouth. Or on his face if her aim is off. “Care to join us?” she asks, glancing up at Keith. 

Keith eyes them suspiciously. “Am I going to get covered in food goo?” he asks warily. 

Pidge shrugs. “There’s a chance,” she admits, thoroughly unconcerned with the possibility. 

Lance’s face says it’s a yes. Pidge winks at Keith and with uncanny aim nails Lance right between the eyes with a glop of food goo. 

Laughing, Keith lowers himself to the floor next to Pidge as Lance splutters. “I guess I can stay,” he concedes. 

Lance rolls his eyes as he wipes food goo off his face. “So Keith,” he says conversationally, and in an instant Keith knows he’s in for it. 

“Yes, Lance?” he asks wearily, because he knows better than to delay the inevitable. He and Lance have managed to become pretty good friends, but Keith knows that if there’s something Lance wants to know, he won’t give up until he gets answers.

“Have you kissed Shiro yet?” Lance asks innocently. 

Keith goes still, wishing he could zip his jacket up to his nose to hide the heat spreading across his face and coloring the tips of his ears bright red. “Uhhhhh…” he stalls, at a loss for words.

Pidge groans dramatically and buries her face in her hands. “Lance, that conversation we had about tact? Ring a bell?” 

“But Pidggeeeee,” Lance whines. “It’s not like we don’t all know that he sleeps in Shiro’s bed every night!” His voice is escalating and it’s loud enough to wake Hunk from his peaceful snooze.

Hunk nearly falls off the couch when he shoots upright. “Huh? What? What’d I miss?” 

Pidge leans over and pats Hunk’s knee soothingly. “You took a little nap. All you missed was Lance asking Keith if he’s kissed Shiro almost as casually as if he’d asked about the weather.” 

Lance shrugs when Hunk turns a despairing gaze his way. “We were all thinking it,” he defends himself. 

Keith has his fingers pressed to his temples. What he’d really like to do is storm off and sulk until he doesn’t feel rattled anymore. He’s been trying to be better though, trying not to push his friends away. Pidge leans her shoulder into his and he relaxes. 

“So nosy,” Keith mutters under his breath. 

“You love us though,” Lance reminds him. 

It’s almost a moment, but Hunk can’t piping up. “Sooooooo?” he ventures.

Keith can’t help but whine, “Finneeeeee.” He pauses, gathering up his courage. “Shiro kissed me,” he confesses and ducks behind Pidge as Lance starts hooting.

“I knew it!” Lance yells and fist pumps the air. 

“Why are you so excited about it?” Keith grumbles. 

“Keith, my buddy, my dude. We want you to be happy,” Lance says, and Keith knows he’s being earnest. 

“Thanks guys,” Keith mumbles, still bright red. 

Pidge grins at him and Hunk nods approvingly. It’s at that moment that Shiro appears in the doorway. 

“Ah, so this is where you are all hiding. I should have known. What are you up too?” Shiro asks, surveying the scene and Keith’s bright red ears. His eyebrows creep up. 

“Talking about Keith’s---” Lance yells, but Keith tackles him before he can get the words “love life” out. They descend into a noisy wrestling match, and as Pidge and Hunk join the fray Shiro slips away, smiling and shaking his head.

***

Much to Lance’s severe disappointment, Shiro and Keith keep the PDA to a minimum. He whines to Keith about this, but he all he gets is a death glare for it. It does make Keith realize how much they’d touched each other when their relationship had been strictly platonic. No wonder the rest of the paladins had thrown him so many exasperated looks. 

Keith forgets about the whole issue as they fly out to deal with a Galra base that was stirring up a far quadrant. He’s piloting Red and Lance is in Blue since Allura stayed behind in the castle. The intel they’ve gathered has her on standby, ready to open a wormhole and get them out of there quickly. It’s a joy for Keith to be back at Red’s controls, and he can feel that she’s pleased as well. The sensation takes a back seat, however, as they whole team is forced to pull back. They’ve been testing the latest robobeast with their individual lions, but it’s clear that it’s not enough. 

“Alright team, form Voltron!” Shiro commands over the comms. 

They move together as a unit, and for a while Keith loses himself to the united sensation of being a part of Voltron. The Galra base is destroyed, but the robobeast is nowhere near done.

“Paladins! You need to get the beast away from the planet!” Allura chimes in urgently.

Keith grits his teeth, and when Shiro doesn’t respond immediately, he offers his idea. “Allura, if you could open a wormhole we might be able to lure it through, and finish it off elsewhere?” he suggests. 

Pidge’s muttering is audible. “That would at least get us away from the planet,” she agrees at last. 

“Let’s do it then,” Shiro says. Allura opens a wormhole for them, it’s a short jump, only a quadrant away, but it’s enough that they won’t have to worry about the inhabitants of the planet getting caught in the crossfire. 

They decide that the only way to take it out is to blast it short-range with the shoulder cannon, but to get that close is incredibly dangerous.

Keith sets his jaw as they take another hit. “Hunk, if I get us in close, can you make the shot?”

“Y-Yeah?” Hunk answers. “Wait, Keith, what are you going to--”

It’s too late, Keith has already slammed the control sticks forward and the right arm swings up to take the brunt of the hit. The rest of the team is yelling over the comms but Keith ignores them. “Now, Hunk!” he yells. All the sensors are flaring and he knows that he has seconds before he loses power, but Hunk fires the shoulder cannon and the beast is down.   
Keith’s trembling as he slouches back in his seat. He absently swipes away the blood running down his face from a cut he didn’t know he had acquired. He feels bruised all over, and he knows that he’s going to get yelled at for it, but it was worth it. The planet is safe, the castle is safe, and his team is safe. 

Shiro is waiting in Red’s hanger when Keith staggers down the out of the cockpit. He’d sprinted up from Black’s hangar, a mixture of anger and worry fueling him through his post-battle exhaustion. Keith staggers slightly as he steps down and Shiro catches him, holding him tight despite Keith’s weak protests that he’s fine. 

“You gave us all a heart attack Keith,” Shiro tries for a chiding tone, but his throat catches. He knows Keith can read between those lines. 

Keith frowns and stops where he is so that he can lean into Shiro’s chest, inadvertently smearing blood across Shiro’s paladin armor. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I just saw a way to stop it…”

Shiro settles his arms around Keith and nuzzles the top of his head despite how sweaty Keith’s hair is. “I know you want to do the right thing, but can you try and cut back on the martyr thing?” he pleads. He’s only somewhat relieved when Keith nods his assent. 

The rest of the paladins arrive at a run, only to come to an abrupt halt as they take in the scene. 

“Uhhhhh,” Allura ventures, but even she is at a loss.

Shiro goes very still as several sets of eyes narrow in on him. “They don’t know?” he hisses in Keith’s ear, not sure why he feels like a middle schooler caught leaving a love note in a locker. 

“Oh, they know,” Keith grumbles, refusing to move. “They’re just being dramatic.”

The team ends up escorting Keith to the med bay, and hovering while Coran and Shiro clean up the cut on his face. It really isn’t something that needs fussed over, and Keith repeatedly tells them this. Eventually he gives up and tries not to doze sitting up on the table. He’s exhausted, and when Shiro comes within reach he latches on and leans into Shiro’s torso. 

“Can we go to bed, baby,” Keith mumbles.

Lance looks like he’s been shot. Hunk and Pidge double over laughing, and Allura looks pleased. Shiro’s face is on fire, and he’s fairly certain it might be stuck that way. 

“Sure Keith,” he manages, and guides Keith away. 

Lance brings it up constantly for a week, and Shiro turns red and flees the room every time he does. 

***

Keith whines as Shiro tries to disentangle himself to get up and start his morning routine. Comically, Keith is the big spoon at the moment. He likes to protectively curl around around Shiro on nights when the nightmares are particularly bad. Shiro appreciates it, but he really needs to get up now. 

“Keith,” he says gently as he tries to pry Keith’s surprisingly strong arms off of him. “I need to get up. Pidge still isn’t back and I want to be ready just in case she needs help.”

Invoking Pidge’s name is enough to get Keith to release his koala hold. Shiro climbs delicately across Keith to get out of bed, and takes a moment to stretch luxuriously before he starts his morning fitness routine. After much grumbling, and weird noises that Shiro has become accustomed to from mornings with Keith, Keith rolls over so that he can watch Shiro do push ups. 

It’s awfully distracting really. Keith is cute with his cheek smushed against the mattress and his deep purple eyes watching Shiro with sleepy interest. Shiro can’t help it, when he reaches the top at the end of his next set of push ups he leans over and places a quick peck on Keith’s lips and then another on his nose. Keith grins at him and starts to lean over. For a moment Shiro is sure his workout is about to go off the rails, but they’re interrupted by a knock on the door.   
Keith makes a noise that sounds suspiciously like a growl, but Shiro calls, “Come in!” 

Lance looks apprehensive when he peeks through the door, but he relaxes once he realizes that nothing scandalous is going down. “Both of you are wanted upstairs, Pidge is back,” he says, and pauses for effect. “And she has Matt.” 

Shiro pops to his feet, a relieved grin spreading across his features. “We’ll be upstairs in a couple ticks,” he tells Lance. 

It’s good enough for Lance, who bolts once the message is delivered. Shiro watches him go, bemused, but gives up and hands Keith’s boots to him as the younger man makes grabby hands at him. 

“Why do you look nervous, Shiro?” Keith asks as they move down the hallway. Keith has a claim on Shiro’s hand and is practically dragging him along. 

Shiro shrugs, having no words for the avalanche of emotions that he feels about seeing Matt again. Keith frowns and squeezes his hand as they emerge onto the main deck. 

Pidge is practically hanging off Matt’s arm as the older Holt sibling chats with Allura. Lance is sulking in the corner, and Hunk is presumably in the kitchen whipping up celebratory snacks. Matt looks over as they enter the room and grins broadly. 

“Shiro,” Matt says warmly, and Keith is forced to let go of Shiro’s hand as the two men hug. He’s pleased at least, to see the tension leave Shiro’s shoulders. Then Matt’s attention is on Keith.   
“Kogane. You’re much taller than I remember,” he teases, and Keith ducks away as Matt tries to ruffle his hair.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Holt.” Keith retorts. “Still annoying as usual.” 

Shiro groans and Matt starts laughing. “Just like the good old days,” he says, and flashes Shiro a smirk. “Guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that you two are still attached at the hip.” 

Keith’s cheeks heat up but he’s saved by Pidge barreling into Matt. She flashes Keith a bright-eyed look that says they’ll be talking later and then she hauls Matt off for a tour of the castle.   
They reconvene later in the lounge after Pidge gives Matt a thorough tour of the castle. Shiro’s not sure which Matt is more impressed with, Pidge or all the Altean technology. 

The elder Holt is sitting beside Shiro, and together they watch Pidge and Keith across the room. Pidge has Keith in what’s either a chokehold or a hug. Shiro goes with “hug” as Keith squeezes her and lifts her off the ground. Matt’s voice startles him out of his thoughts. 

“He’s changed a lot,” Matt comments, nodding in Keith’s direction. “I never thought he’d make friends other than us.” 

Shiro shrugs. “War has a way of doing that to people, and we’ve formed a weird sort of family with the other paladins” he replies quietly, his gaze never leaving Keith.

Matt snorts. “Well, not everything has changed. You’re still pining over the mullet head and he still makes heart eyes at you when you’re not looking. If I squint hard enough I can almost pretend we’re back at the Garrison.” 

Shiro tunes out Matt’s griping almost on instinct, but he nearly chokes on the implication that Keith felt that way about him even so long ago. “Keith didn’t’ like like me at the Garrison,” he protests. 

Matt gives him a condescending look of pity. “Oh, Shiro,” he says, shaking his head. 

Keith chooses that moment to sink down onto the couch next to Shiro, sneaking a kiss onto Shiro’s cheek as he curls into his side. 

Matt gapes, doing his best impression of a goldfish on land. “I- What. Did he just?” Matt stammers, trying to recover himself. 

Keith smirks across Shiro at Matt, clearly enjoying this, and Shiro can’t help but join the fun. He dips his head to kiss Keith, who eagerly meets him halfway. Shiro only pulls back when Matt starts spluttering and Keith’s laughter is making them both shake. 

“I take it back, please return to your previously scheduled mutual pining,” Matt whines, covering his eyes. 

Across the room Pidge is rolls on the floor laughing, and Lance looks far too smug as he ducks into the kitchen to help Hunk. Pidge is wiping tears of mirth from her eyes when Matt shoots her an accusing gaze. 

“You set me up, you little traitor,” he says, and when she doesn’t deny it he launches off the couch. “I’m gonna get you good Katie Holt!” he yells. Pidge cackles as she darts off down a hallway and Matt fumbles after her. 

Keith rests his head against Shiro’s chest with a content sigh. “He’s never going to catch her,” he says, and Shiro can hear the laughter in his voice.   
“Nope,” Shiro agrees, draping a casual arm around Keith and hugging him close. “Pidge cheats.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family makes the world go round, even if you're in space, and you know, aren't actually orbiting around something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soft Sheith is soft, enjoy this lovely case of the fuzzies.

Keith smothers a yawn into Shiro’s shoulder, trying to stay quiet in the hopes that if Shiro thinks Keith is still asleep, he won’t get up just yet. 

No such luck, Shiro is uncannily good at knowing when Keith is awake. “You haven’t had a nightmare in a while,” Shiro observes quietly. 

Something is off about his tone that Keith can’t put his finger on, and it sends a thread of unease through him. Keith tightens his arms around Shiro and presses his cheek against Shiro’s shoulder blade so that the other can feel his smile. 

“It’s kinda hard to have nightmares about you being gone when you’re right here beside me,” Keith admits. Shiro hums quietly and presses closer, his warmth reassuring. 

Belatedly, Keith realizes that it’s rather odd that Shiro is still lounging in bed with him. Normally by this point Shiro is up and doing a morning workout like the over achiever he is. Almost as if he can hear Keith’s thoughts Shiro twists in his arms and when Shiro’s finally curled on his side facing Keith, Keith understands why they’re still in bed. Shiro’s normally steady gray eyes are clouded, and now that Keith knows to look for it, he can feel the tense way that Shiro holds himself. Keith frowns and reaches out to cradle Shiro’s chin in his palm. 

“Keith,” Shiro breathes, “Can you do me a favor?” 

“Anything,” Keith promises. “What do you need?” 

Shiro wriggles close and presses his face into Keith’s chest, just below his chin. Keith frowns, concerned, and holds him gently as he runs his fingers through Shiro’s hair. 

Finally Shiro exhales a shuddering breath. “Can you fly Black today? I don’t think…” he trails off, the words getting stuck in his throat. “I don’t think I can lead them today.” 

Keith’s heart clenches. So it was one of those days. He presses a gentle kiss to the top of Shiro’s head. “Of course. I’ll take care of it, don’t you worry about it,” he murmurs.

Keith could hope that they don’t need Voltron today, but the way things have been going lately, he knows better. He doesn’t love leading, but considering how much Shiro has given him over the years, this is not too much to ask. Shiro burrows into him seeking warmth and comfort, and they stay like that until Allura’s calls for them over the comms. 

“Shiro, Keith? We need you on the bridge immediately,” she says urgently. 

Keith sighs. “Coming!” he calls back. He carefully frees himself from Shiro’s grasp and dresses as quickly as he can. Keith stops on his way out the door to pepper Shiro’s face with gentle kisses. Shiro’s brow is still deeply furrowed and Keith hates leaving him like this. 

“Are you going to be okay while I’m gone?” Keith asks softly. 

Shiro nods and tucks the covers up under his chin.

“Matt hasn’t left for the rebel base yet, so if you need someone, he’s here,” Keith says, and leans over to press one last kiss to Shiro’s forehead before he leaves. “I love you, Takashi,” he whispers. “It’s going to be okay.” 

***

Keith has to run the whole way up to the bridge. Allura frowns at him when he arrives, and the rest of the paladins eye him curiously from their chairs, except Lance who hovers uncertainly between the red and blue seats. 

“Took you long enough,” Lance gripes.

Allura cuts in before Lance can get on a roll. “Where is Shiro?” she asks, brows furrowed. 

Keith takes a deep breath and does all he can to channel Shiro’s leadership face. “It’s just me today. Shiro needs some time, and we’re gonna let him have it. Understood?” he says firmly. 

The team looks collectively concerned, but they nod.

“Alright then. Everyone to your lions,” he directs and pauses next to Matt on his way to Black’s hangar. “Can you stick around in case Shiro needs someone?” Keith asks quietly. Matt’s nod is all the confirmation he can afford to wait around on. There’s a rebel ship in need of their help. 

***

Keith takes a deep breath as he sinks into the seat in Black’s cockpit. “Patience yields focus,” he murmurs to himself, and Black rumbles agreement. Keith smiles to himself. Normally his connection to Black isn’t as good as his connection to Red, but today their shared concern for Shiro makes it easier for Keith to understand. 

“Shiro is gonna be okay,” Keith reassures the both of them. “In the meantime, we need to focus on rescuing that rebel cruiser.” 

The rest of the paladins are waiting when Keith and Black shoot out of the hangar. “Okay, Pidge. What do you have for us?” Keith says. He’s grateful for the stretch of time that he spent getting the hang of flying Black and giving directions to the team, because when Pidge finishes her explanation, he knows exactly what to do. 

A wicked grin curls on his lips, and when he starts giving his friends tasks, Lance laughs into the comms, his earlier animosity forgotten. “Go get ‘em team,” Keith says. They don’t need to be told twice. 

Matt watches from the bridge of the castle as the five lions shoot out into the deep, starry darkness. Pride swells in his chest as he observes how deftly Pidge handles Green. She hadn’t set out to be a pilot, but like most things, she’s wonderful at working with Green. Beside him, Coran is at the controls, muttering something under his breath as he taps at the screen. They catch snippets of the paladins’ conversations over the comms, but nothing clear enough to follow. 

Matt shifts his weight, “I’m going to go downstairs and check on Shiro.”

Coran nods. “Take him something to eat. I think Hunk stashed leftovers somewhere, Shiro doesn’t like my cooking.” He sounds awfully bitter about this, and Matt wonders how bad his cooking could possibly be as he takes his leave. 

Downstairs in the kitchen, Matt finds that Coran was correct about the leftovers. He has no idea what half the stuff is, but he puts together a half-decent looking plate and heads down to where Shiro’s room is. He pauses outside the door and takes a deep breath before he knocks.

“Hey buddy, it’s me. Can I come in?” Matt asks. He waits patiently as rustling sounds on the other side of the door, and then it opens. 

Shiro peers at him, and Matt takes the opportunity to observe him in return. He can see why Keith was concerned. Shiro looks tired and sad, as if the weight of the galaxy had decided to settle on his shoulders for the day. Finally Shiro steps back so that Matt can enter the room and Matt follows him inside. He passes over the plate of food and Shiro takes it, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Keith?” Shiro asks. 

Matt nods. “Keith,” he agrees. “Though I will take credit for the artful assembly of that plate.” 

“Thanks Matt,” Shiro mumbles. 

Matt offers him a small smile and takes a seat on the floor while Shiro eats. “You’re welcome, Shiro.”

They sit in companionable silence for a while until Matt notices Shiro’s shoulders tighten and his gaze dim. Matt frowns, struggling for a safe topic to bring Shiro back with. It hurts him that Shiro carries some of those dark thoughts because he saved Matt.

“You know,” Matt muses, and Shiro’s eyes flicker to him. “I thought you were full of crap when you told me Keith had leadership potential.” 

Shiro’s eyebrow quirks upward, and Matt plows on. “I thought no way mullet head ever leads. He’s got too much history to form those bonds with strangers.” He smiles lopsidedly, fondly recalling some of Keith’s finest moments at the Garrison. And by finest he means some of Keith’s more interesting displays of temper. Shiro waits for him to continue. 

“Funny thing is though,” Matt says, “Is that Katie likes him. And when he marched upstairs today and took control, they followed him. The princess of freakin Altea followed him. I thought I was seeing things.” 

Matt knows he’s doing okay because a chuckle rasps its way out of Shiro. “What you don’t know that makes it even better,” Shiro says, startling Matt, “Is that the princess of Altea is following a half-Galra.” 

Matt chokes. “Keith is what now?” He waves a dismissive hand at Shiro. “Nope, you know what, never mind. A lot of things make sense now.” 

Shiro’s amusement is brief, and he shrugs, sighing as he closes his eyes. Matt watches him a moment then quietly gets to his feet, sensing that it’s time to allow Shiro to have some space. 

“Matt?” Shiro says, and he sounds lost. 

“Yes Shiro?” 

“Keith said he loved me this morning,” Shiro whispers, and Matt can tell that Shiro is having a hard time wrapping his head around that. 

“I think Keith has loved you for quite a while, Shiro,” Matt says gently. Shiro opens his eyes to stare at Matt, wheels turning visibly in his head. Matt smiles at him, because despite his constant whining about them, he wants his friends to be happy. And clearly they make each other quite happy indeed. 

Shiro is still thinking and Matt leaves him to it. He’d like to see some more of Pidge’s flying. 

***

No one comments when Keith declines to debrief fully with the team. He lingers long enough to thank them for their hard work and deal out credit where credit is due, and the he sprints off. They presume he’s going to see Shiro, and they’re not wrong.

Allura watches his retreating back with some concern. She looks to Pidge, who is also watching him go. “Pidge,” she says, and the younger girl looks over. “Is there anything we can do for Shiro and Keith? I just… I feel like we should be doing something.” 

“I can cook something,” Hunk volunteers immediately. 

Pidge and Lance exchange glances. “We’ll come up with something,” Pidge reassures her.

***

Shiro stirs out of an uneasy doze to the door opening and closing. “Keith?” he inquires, his voice muffled by the sheets. Talking with Matt helped, but he still feels off, like he’s not completely connected to this reality. 

“Right here,” Keith says softly as he takes a seat on the edge of the mattress. “How are you feeling?”

Rather than muster up the energy to answer, Shiro reaches out with grabby hands to drag Keith into the bed. Keith doesn’t protest and climbs in under the covers. Within moments they’re snuggled close and Shiro’s face is tucked into the crook of Keith’s neck. When he breathes in Keith smells freshly washed, he probably showered when he changed out of his paladin armor. Shiro buries his face further into Keith’s neck, narrowly avoiding breathing in a few strands of soft, dark hair. Keith runs his fingers along Shiro’s shoulder and then down his back, the touch tender bordering on reverent. 

Shiro lets all the air out of his lungs in a huff. “Keith?” he says, and everything about the other man’s name is a question.

“Yes, Takashi?” Keith responds, trying to ignore the way his heart kicks into another gear. 

“You love me.” Shiro says it like a statement, but his tone is wondering. 

Keith smiles into Shiro’s hair and tries to calm his thrashing heart. “I do love you,” Keith says firmly.

A tingle travels down Keith’s spine as Shiro presses a kiss to jaw. “Hmmm,” Shiro hums, and finds himself grinning like a fool. “I love you too, Keith.” 

For the first time since he woke up this morning, Shiro feels anchored. He squirms until he can place another kiss on Keith’s jaw, and another and another as he finally finds his way to the other’s lips. Keith is more than happy to oblige him, and they get lost in soft kisses until Shiro’s lips start to hurt. It’s okay though, because both of them are content to rest in each other’s arms. 

Eventually Keith breaks the peaceful silence. “You know, the rest of the team is going to want to come check on you,” he warns from where his head rests on Shiro’s human bicep. 

Shiro lets out a soft whine and hides his face. He’s worked so hard to hide his weaknesses from the team. They deserve a strong, fearless leader. 

Keith pokes him in the side. “Shiro, you don’t need to be perfect in front of them,” Keith says with fond exasperation. Of course Keith sees right through him, Keith knows him too damn well and has always had a knack for calling Shiro out on his crap. 

“I’m their leader, Keith,” Shiro argues. “They need me to be strong.” 

Keith snorts. “You are strong. And you’ve been there for them. I know you’ve carried Pidge to bed, spent time doing dishes with Hunk, sat with Lance when he gets homesick. You’ve listened to Allura and Coran talk about Altea.” Keith pauses, favoring Shiro with one of his small smiles. 

Shiro wonders how he never noticed that Keith pays so much attention to what he does. It comes to him: it’s because it’s Keith, and since the day they met Keith has always paid attention to Shiro. 

“Let them support you in return, Shiro,” Keith says softly. “Just because you’re the eldest doesn’t mean you have to take up that mantle. We’re all paladins of Voltron, and we’re equals.” 

Shiro sighs because he knows Keith is right. “Okay,” he concedes. “When did you become such a good leader?” Shiro muses quietly to himself. 

He regrets saying it out loud the moment Keith tenses beside him. “When you were gone,” Keith says flatly. “And I’m not a good leader.”

As much as Shiro would like to argue Keith’s leadership skills, now is not the time. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. If Shiro could make up for the two times that he’s disappeared out of Keith’s life, he would do it a thousand times over. 

Keith doesn’t answer, but he throws a leg over Shiro and holds on so tight that Shiro understands it will be a long time before Keith lets him out of his sight again. Shiro is okay with that. He cards his fingers through Keith’s silky hair and tries to be content that despite everything, they will heal together. As it was meant to be. 

***

Keith is napping when the paladins make their appearance. They look faintly surprised that Shiro is the one opening the door, but a glance past him at sleeping Keith clears things up. 

“May we come in?” Allura asks, formal as always. The mice cling to her shoulders and chitter amongst themselves.

“Yeah,” Shiro says, though he’s not sure how all of them are going to fit in his small room. 

They pile in, and Lance smirks. “I call waking Keith up.” 

Shiro frowns. “Don’t—“ he protests. But there’s no need, Keith has beaten him to it. 

“Touch me and die,” Keith growls. He pushes up into a sitting position, his ferocious glare ruined by his incredible bedhead. 

Pidge snorts and Hunk jumps in before this train gets too far off the rails. 

“We know that you’re having a tough time, and we wanted to do something to help,” Hunk says nervously. If his hands weren’t full with a tray, Shiro was fairly certain he’d be wringing them. 

It’s then that Shiro realizes each of them has something clutched in their hands. “Thank you, guys.” Shiro’s voice trembles with emotions he can’t even name, and Keith takes pity on him.   
“Food first,” Keith directs, and obediently they settle on the floor in a loose circle, Hunk dishing out food to everyone. Keith sits next to Shiro, their knees just barely touching as the meal is finished and the other paladins shyly pass over their creations. 

Hunk of course was responsible for the amazing food, but Pidge delicately places a small machine into Shiro’s hands. 

“It’s a projector,” she explains when he looks confused. Shiro turns it on, and gasps. On the ceiling, Earth’s familiar constellations smile down at him. Beside him, Keith takes a sharp breath. “I know that sky,” he whispers. Shiro does too. It’s the sky above the shack in the desert on an October night. 

Shiro tears his gaze away to look at Pidge. She offers a small smile. “Matt had to leave for a rebel thing, but he helped me with it before he left. He was very insistent about those specific constellations.” 

Blinking hard to keep his eyes from watering, Shiro leans over to give Pidge a fierce hug. “Thank you, Katie.” 

Lance gives him something soft and vaguely familiar. “It’s Keith,” Lance says like it’s obvious. “For when he’s away on Blade missions.” 

It is Keith, Shiro realizes, a simplified version of him anyway. It even has a little mullet made out of whatever materials Lance had scrounged up. Keith eyes the stuffed thing with distrust. “That’s a voodoo doll,” he accuses. 

“Is nottttttt,” Lance whines. “Why are you like this Keith?” 

“I love it Lance, thank you,” Shiro says, offering Lance a smile. He does love it, because whatever Keith thinks, it’s adorable. Keith shoots Shiro a look, and Shiro shrugs, tucking it safely beneath his arm out of Keith’s reach. (Keith won’t let it in the bed when he’s around, but Shiro sleeps with it tucked under his chin on nights when Keith is away). 

Allura’s small thing is last, and they all gather round to watch the mice perform what Pidge proclaims to be “the cutest thing she’s ever seen.” Shiro waits until Allura looks his way and flashes her a small, grateful smile. She flushes slightly and nods, offering a small grin in return. It’s sometimes hard for her to grasp some of the quirky human things the paladins do, but she tries, and Shiro wants her to feel a part of the family as well. 

Their small family stays for a while, quietly enjoying each other’s company until people start drifting off to bed. Keith is tucked neatly into Shiro’s side, tracing circles on Shiro’s thigh mindlessly until they realize that the only one left is Pidge, who’s drooling yet again on Shiro’s shoulder. 

Keith leans around Shiro to peer at her. “Do you want to take her to her bed, or should I?” he asks, amused. 

Shiro smiles lopsidedly. “If you carry her I’ll open doors?” he offers. 

Keith, who misses nothing, snorts as he understands that Shiro is using his earlier words against him. He pushes to his feet and pads around to Pidge, gently scooping her up. She grumbles in her sleep, and Keith is struggling not to laugh as he takes in the huge drool spot on Shiro’s shirt. 

Shiro makes a face in response, and together they head down to Pidge’s room. As promised, Shiro opens the door and Keith places her gingerly on the bed. She immediately rolls over into her blankets and disappears into the messy tangle. Keith is still stifling hysterical laughter.

When they finally crawl into their own bed, stuffed Keith in exile on the far side of the room, Shiro presses a kiss to Keith’s forehead. “Thank you for today. Between you, Matt, and the team I feel a lot better, more grounded,” Shiro says, and he means it. The darkness still lurks at the edges, but with his family around him it’s easier to hold it at bay. 

Keith’s smile is radiant as he steals a quick kiss. “As many times as it takes, Takashi. I’ve got you.” 

Shiro breathes a content sigh and pulls Keith in close. “And I’ve got you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all that I have planned at the moment, but if you have cute Sheith ideas hit me with them and we'll see what happens ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me about Sheith on tumblr ( also at carry-a-world ) and let me know what you think!


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